The present invention concerns novel vinyl ester resins prepared from epoxy resins and hydrocarbon adducts of maleic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid or citraconic acid.
Vinyl ester resins are thermosettable resins prepared by reacting an epoxy resin with an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid or partial esters prepared from hydroxyalkyl esters of unsaturated monocarboxylic acids and dicarboxylic acids. Such vinyl ester resins have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,066,122 issued to Brinker et al.; 3,179,623 issued to Bowen; 3,256,226 issued to Fekete et al.; 3,301,743 issued to Fekete et al.; 3,337,406 issued to DeMarco et al. and 3,367,992 issued to Bearden. Such vinyl ester resins are employed alone or blended with ethylenically unsaturated reactive diluents such as styrene, vinyl toluene, methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate and the like. Even more recently, as described by Nelson in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 30,583, less expensive reactive diluents such as dicyclopentadiene alkenoates have been employed.
The present invention provides for the incorporation of less expensive hydrocarbons into the vinyl ester resin.